Cleaning the dobro

bigdog

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Apr 27, 2011, 10:38:27 PM4/27/11

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Ok, the obvious is metal polish, but has anyone found a nice mild
option for shining an cleaning a very shiny Paul Beard signature dobro
ESP. Not sure I want to use Brasso on it, or silver polish.
Fingerprints galore of course. But the sound is terrific. Echo
without amplification. I just love it, and for certain tunes (no
slide) it adds a nice bit of magic.

But shining the thing each time I play is a pain.

No oven cleaner jokes.

Db

Neil Lamb

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Apr 28, 2011, 6:05:59 AM4/28/11

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When not playing guitar I play with street rods. ( old cars with big
motors and flamed paint jobs). This product works the best of anything
I have tried for safely removing fingerprints and dirt from stainless
steel and chrome.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car+care/car+washing/car+cleaners/metal+cleaner%2C+17+ounces.dosearch=basic&keyword=metal+cleaner&sortby=newArrivals&page=1

Best,

Neil

Bob R.

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Apr 28, 2011, 7:58:16 AM4/28/11

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On Apr 27, 10:38 pm, bigdog <bruseg...@aol.com> wrote:

Are car wash jokes okay?

David J. Littleboy

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Apr 28, 2011, 8:45:29 AM4/28/11

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Are car wash jokes okay?
<<<<<<<<<<<<

At least according the header timestamps I'm seeing, Neil Lamb beat you to
it...

--
David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

Bob R.

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Apr 28, 2011, 9:14:26 AM4/28/11

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On Apr 28, 8:45 am, "David J. Littleboy" <davi...@gol.com> wrote:

But Neil's was actually a potentially helpful suggestion... :-)

bigdog

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Apr 29, 2011, 11:14:34 PM4/29/11

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You guys are killing me.
I'm about to use Pledge with cheesecloth.
It's clear to me that none of you have listened to fusion dobro and
your blue grass guitars are rusty.

If I can get music out of a Sunlight Dish Detergent bottle, I'll do
it.

Dobros fit nicely into the jazz idiom for those who don't have tin
ears.

db

MrArchtop

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Apr 29, 2011, 11:43:23 PM4/29/11

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Try Flitz, a metal and fiberglass cleaner, that is used by Horn
players on their silver instruments. A French Horn player put me on
to it and it'll work on your Dobro as swell as on pickup covers.
Does a nice job on nickel tailpieces, too.

The other good product to try is a soft metal cleaning and polishing
cloth made by F. Besson, also used by horn players.

Meguiar's Metal Glaze #7 should be part of your instrument maintenance
kit too. Meguiar's makes many level of "grit" that you can experiment
with to bring back finishes. Use carefully and experiment with the
lower numbered polishes. All are available at most auto parts stores.

For simple cleaning without altering finishes, I use a solution of 1
oz water, 1 oz denatured alcohol, and a drop of baby oil. It simply
removes the grime and that is sometimes all that is required.

Bob R.

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Apr 30, 2011, 12:38:55 AM4/30/11

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Simichrome is a good metal polish too; I've brought a few chrome-
plated things back to life with that.

eric s

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Apr 30, 2011, 9:42:09 AM4/30/11

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can you give an example of fusion dobro, maybe on youtube? I have a
paul beard goldtone, but a strange and interesting one made of solid
wood with a spider resonater. Very nice and warm, and I have it set
up for fingerstyle. A lovely sound, I use it mostly for ragtime
guitar, etc

e

bigdog

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Apr 30, 2011, 10:10:49 AM4/30/11

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Thank you MrArchtop and Bob
Great suggestions.

For better off the wall dobro than I can play, look up Kevin Breit on
Youtube

db

DanielleOM

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Apr 30, 2011, 10:36:14 AM4/30/11

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I remember a luthier friend telling me about one that did not sound well.
They eventually removed all kinds of fibre, the mouse nest and the dead
mouse remains.

Danielle

Gerry

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Apr 30, 2011, 11:19:21 AM4/30/11

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I thought a dobro developing a patina was a good thing.

--
-- At this point Sharazad saw the approach of morning and discreetly
fell silent.